Apparatus for conserving ink



June 12, 1923. O

r R. SOLOMON APPARATUS FOR CONSERVING INK Original Filed Oct. 6 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fem 002 P/V $04 O/WO/Y,

Man/mag June 12, 1923.

.1 ,458,860 R. SOLOMON APPARATUS FOR CONSERVING INK Original Filed Oct. 6, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 93,13 7%iv/rzw M1,!

Patented June 12, 1923.

' 'UNlTEDfsrATES' RANDOLPH SOLOMON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

QAfPARA'IIiS non consnnvine INK.

.Appfication filed October 6, 1920," Serial No.,.415,057. Renewed Jannary so, 1923.

To all whbmz't may conce'm Be it known that I, RANDOLPH a citizen of the United States, residingfat Washington, in the District of Columbia 1 (whose post-oflice address is .305 D Street I NVV., Washington, D. 0.), haveinve'nted certain new and useful .Improvements in' Apparatus for Conserving Ink, of which the following is 'a specification, reference being had thereinv to the accompanying drawings.

vThis invention relatesito method of and apparatus for conserving I ink in printing presses employing engraved plates, and has for'fan object to provide means for. removing from the engraved-plate the excess ink applied thereto andconveying the same to storage. I.

A further object of. the invention is to provide a .wiper moving in opposition -to the movement of the engraved plate, with means for removing fromthe surface of the wiper.

the ink removedby such wiper from the plate, and conveyingthe ink to. storage.

.In' the, ordinary operation of printing from engravedplates, an excess of ink is applied to the, plate to make certain the filling of the interstices of the engraving. This excess ink is ordinarily wiped from 0 the plate. and lost. .The amount of ink so excess of ink wiped'fromthe plate is manytimes the.

amountof ink actually employed to fill the engraving, and the present invention has for an, object the conserving Fig. '1, is 'a, view in side elevation'of a conventional inking and wiping apparatus, with thepresent invention introduced there; in, and seen in side elevation, parts being broken away to shownithe wiping, roller.

Fig. 2, is a top plan view of thekdevice.

Fig. 3, is a sectional view. taken on line 33 of Figures 1 and 2.

Fig. 4:, is a view inside elevation of the' apparatus, as applied to a .rotary, or similar type of press. I

Fig.5, is a detail sectional-view of the ink receiving box, and the means 'of' dischargin .the ink therefrom.

Fig. a is a view side elevation of the SOLOMON,

.' ig. 6, is a detail sectional view of the wiping mechanism following, or employed] subsequent to the 'conservingwiper;

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

disclosed in the present application'and'for carrying out the'improved method is adapt-'- 1 1 The improved ink conserving mechanism ed for use with presses employinggeither flat engraved plates or c rcular engraved device is indicated wherein the fiat plates 10 are carried upon the planks 11, whereas at:

terial, applies to the plate 10 or..12,"ink' under sufficient pressure to fill theleng'raving, and in suflicient quantity to fill the.v engraving, which quantity "is also muchin' excess of the requirements. This excess ink is spread in a thin film over the entire plate,

and it is this filmiof ink whichthe present plates. As shown at Figures"1,'2 and 3, a

Fig. 4, the circular or semi-circular plate roller, or a roller of. so'me'absorbentma so I invention is designed to remove and con-- serve. For thispurpose a wiping roller 1,6. is employechsuch roller being "of" any approved material." 'At' the present time the practice indicates that thismaterial Willf preferably be. caoutchouc, although it is within the present invention to employ any material serving the purpose. This roller 16 is journaled upon a shaft 17, driven in any approved manner as by a sprocket chain 18 upon the sprocket '19, from the drive of the roller 14. Adjusting mechanism, comprising a limiting screw 20, a spring 21' and a tension screw 22, .isfemploye d for holding the wiper roller '16 in wiping 'engagement with the gplateslOYor 12. The roller 16, as will benoted, is rotated in "op position to the movement of the plates 10 or 12, that is tosay, the surface ofthe roller 16 engaging the plates10 or 12,;i's moving inthe direction opposite to the movement of, the plate. The result of this movementis that the-ink upon thepl'ate in excessof that contained within the engraving is largely removed andcarried upon the surface of the roller until it comes into engagement with the scraper 23. This scraper 23 removes the ink from the surface of the roller 16, and conducts it to a box 24. This box 24 is preferably an open top box, so that the ink will flow directly over the scraper 23 into this box. The open condition of the entire top of the box is, however, immaterial to the present invention, the requisite being only sufficient space for the flow of the ink from the scraper 23 to the interior of the box.

' For convenience, this box 24 is provided with a tongue 25 which engages a groove 26 in the arm 27.. This arm 27 will preferably be integral with the bearing structure 28, which journals the roller 16, although such integra-lity isv wholly immaterial to the pres ent invention. The sliding movement of the box in the guide formed by the tongue and groove connection permits the movement of the box 24 so that the scraper 23 is held in scraping engagement with the roller 16. Such adjustment and tension is provided in any approved manner, preferably by the'use of brackets 29, springs 30 and tension screws 31.

When a thin or comparatively liquid ink. is being employed, a discharge spout 32 will be employed, which connects with a screw threaded boss 33 on the under side of the b0X,.1H opening 34 through the box forming communication with such outlet spout. YVhe-n, however, a thick ink is being employed, the outlet spout 32 is removed and a plug 35 employed. See Figures 5 and 6. In the latter case, the ink is removed from the box 24 by any convenient hand implement. In the former, a receptacle is sup ported under the outlet end of the spout to receive the discharged ink.

The wiping roller 16 does, not entirely complete the removal or wiping process, and a mechanically operated fabric wiper is further employed. This mechanical wiper is carried upon the frame adjacent to the inking mechanism and in the path of movement of the plate, following the operation by the wiping roller 16. This mechanical wiper comprises uprights 36 supported upon discs 37 driven by shafts 38. The discs 37 are provided with dove-tailed diametrical slots 39, and wrist pins 40 are secured therein, the adjustment being the same relative to both of the discs 37 whereby when the discs are simultaneously rotated in the same direction an eccentric movement of the wrist pins 40 is provided. These wrist pins, 40 en gage ears41 integral or rigidly connected with the uprights 36, so that the rotation of the shafts 38 and discs 37 produces a local rotary actionof such uprights. Between the uprights a block 42 is secured, having preferably a cushioning member 43, all so pro portioned that the cushioning member in its local rotary movement is adjacent to the plate 10 in the flatplate type of apparatus. Between the cushioning member 43 and the plate 10 a fabric 44 is interposed with means for moving the fabric progressively as the work advances to present fresh or clean surfaces to the plate 10. This is accomplished by passing the fabric over rollers 45, journaled upon trunnions 46, having bearings in the uprights 36. The rollers or trunnions have rigidly secured thereto circular ratchet's 47, and pawls 48 and 49, are provided for engagement with the ratchets to rotatethe' rollers with a step by step movement to wind and unwind the fabric 44; This step. by step movement of the rollers may be accomplished in any manner as by fulcruming levers 50 and 51 upon the trunnions 46",,and upon which levers. 50 and 51 the pawls 48 and 49 are respectively pivoted. A connecting link 52 insures the synchronous operation of the levers 50 and 51, which operation may be accomplished in any approved man'- ner, as by providing one of the levers 50 and arm 53, with a link 54, connected therewith,

and reciprocated from any convenient will constantly present. unsaturated surfaces of the fabric to the plate. Springs 59 and 60 are employed to hold the pawls 48 and '49,

respectively, either in or out of operative en gagement with its ratchet 47. a

It is believed that the operation of the device and the method of conserving ink which will be accomplished by the employment of such apparatus will be thoroughly and com pletely understood from the foregoing description, without entering at large into a statement of the operation. 3

I claimt' i 1. An apparatus for removing andconserving ink applied in excess to a moving engraved printing platelcomprising a wiper roller, an ink reservoir and scraper corn: bined as a unitary structure, and means to adjust said unitary structure relative to the roller.

2. An apparatus for removing and conserving ink applied in excess to a moving engraved printing plate comprising a wiper roller, an ink reservoir and scraper combined as a unitary structure, and means toadjust said unitary structure radially relative to the journal of the wiper roller.

3. An apparatus for removing and con-- adjust the unitary structure to apply the serving ink applied in excess to a moving enscraper to the periphery of the roller to re 15 graved printing plate comprising a Wiper move the ink film from said roller and c0nroller, roller journals fixed against moveduct it to said reservoir.

5 ment in the direction of movement of the In testimony whereof I hereunto afiixmy plate but yielding transverse to such disignature. rection, an ink reservoir and scraper com bined as a unitary structure, and means to RANDOLPH SOLOMON. 

